If you're a fairweather bicycle commuter you might wish to know what the conditions will be like outside before you determine if you'll ride or take the subway, car, or bus. Maker weblog Optimise for the Common Case creator Richard J. Pope didn't wanted an easy way to make this decision so he built a "bicycle barometer" a Nanode-powered device that takes in data from weather sites and The London Underground and controls a dial that tells him whether to bicycle or ride public transit.

This data is reduced down to an analog display, modeled after a barometer, that advises the best method of transportation for that day. The info is weighted—snow will rank higher toward choosing the tube over a light rain. This is but one great example how private and public services providing APIs help develop tons of innovative projects.

If you'd like to build your own Richard provides code, instructions, and the design at his Github page you can find at the source link below.